WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Families can discover 17th- and 18th-century holiday traditions at Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Victory Center with a “History is Fun for the Holidays” online ticket and vacation package available through December.
History makes the holidays fun during seasonal events “Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia,” November 24-26, and “A Colonial Christmas,” December 1-31. The two museums offer extensive gallery exhibits and historical interpretation in re-created outdoor settings – a Powhatan Indian village, 1607 ships and colonial fort at Jamestown Settlement, and Continental Army encampment and 1780s farm at the Yorktown Victory Center.
The holiday season begins on Thanksgiving Day with “Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia,” which explores foodways of 17th- and 18th-century Virginia. At Jamestown Settlement, historical interpreters demonstrate how food was gathered, preserved and prepared on land and at sea by Virginia’s English colonists and Powhatan Indians. Programs at the Yorktown Victory Center examine typical soldiers’ fare during the American Revolution and trace the bounty of a 1780s farm from field to kitchen.
During “A Colonial Christmas,” holiday traditions of 17th- and 18th-century Virginia are recalled through special interpretive programs and, December 26-31, musical entertainment. A Jamestown Settlement holiday film and guided tours – with periodic appearances by the Lord of Misrule – compare and contrast English Christmas customs of the period with how the season may have been observed in the difficult early years of the Jamestown colony. At the Yorktown Victory Center, visitors hear accounts of Christmas and winter in Revolutionary War encampments and glimpse holiday preparations on a 1780s farm.
The “History is Fun for the Holidays” online ticket, available at www.historyisfun.org/Vacation-Packages.htm, provides unlimited admission to Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Victory Center for seven consecutive days and represents a 20 percent savings over individual museum admission. The ticket is $20 for adults, $10 for ages 6 through 12, and can be packaged with lodging. Children under 6 are free. The “History is Fun for the Holidays” vacation package starts at $199 for two nights’ lodging and three days of unlimited admission for two adults to Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Victory Center.
In time for holiday shopping, Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center museum shops offer a selection of books, prints, museum reproductions, educational toys, games and souvenirs relating to the 17th and 18th centuries. Shop during your museum visit or online at www.shophistoryisfun.com. The “History is Fun for the Holidays” vacation package also includes coupon booklets for Williamsburg Premium Outlets and a Historic Yorktown Rewards Card.
Several other multi-attraction ticket and package options are available this holiday season with Williamsburg area historical attractions and theme parks at www.historyisfun.org/Vacation-Packages.htm. Packages include lodging at one of a variety of Williamsburg area accommodations and include free admission for children under 6 and free parking.
Among the holiday getaways, “America’s Historic Triangle for the Holidays” features seven consecutive days of unlimited visits to five historical attractions – Jamestown Settlement, Historic Jamestowne, Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area and Art Museums, Yorktown Battlefield, and the Yorktown Victory Center. The admission ticket is $79.00 for adults, $33.50 for ages 6-17, and can be packaged with lodging starting at $319 per couple, based on a double occupancy, with a minimum two-night stay. Holiday events include Colonial Williamsburg’s “Grand Illumination,” December 4, Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center’s “A Colonial Christmas,” December 1-31, and Historic Jamestowne’s “At Christmas Be Merry,” December 21 (separate admission fee).
A “Christmas Town and Colonial Fun” package offers seven consecutive days of admission to “Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration,” Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area and Art Museums, and Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center living-history museums and lodging starting at $319 per couple, based on double occupancy, with a minimum two-night stay. The package also includes coupon booklets for Williamsburg Premium Outlets and a Historic Yorktown Rewards Card.
Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Victory Center are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Jamestown Settlement is located on Route 31 South at the Colonial Parkway next to Historic Jamestowne, administered by the National Park Service and Preservation Virginia. The Yorktown Victory Center is located on Route 1020 in Yorktown near Yorktown Battlefield, administered by the National Park Service.
For more information, call (888) 593-4682 toll-free or (757) 253-4838.
